Apparatus for pulling cables through conduits



Oct. 14, 1930. 5PM. PALM Er AL 1,778,086.

APPARATUS FOR PULLINEE CABLES THROUGH CONDUITS 3 Shoots-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1928 NVE Mpa z mgkursn der NTORS bet. 14, 1930. s, L AL 1,778,086 i APPARATUS FOR PULLING CABLES THROUGH CONDUITS I Filed June 25. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 1 23 ll I 4 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Oct. 14, 1930.

S. M. PALM ET AL APPARATUS FOR PULLING File d June 25, 1928 GABLES THROUGH CONDUITS 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTORS in/mm @JRsn wer Y c AT TORNEY Patented Oct. 14, 1930 {UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V sAM'UEL m. PALmoE YEADON, AND JOHN E ronnrron or NEW YORK F. SNYDER, E PHILADELPHIA, PEN SYL .VANIA, ASSIGNORS 'ro AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A con- APPARATUS FOR PULLING CABLES THROUGH CONDUITS Application filed .Tune 25,

i I Inunderground cable practice it has'been formerly the custom to use a series of uprights in manholes in connection wlth the operation of pulling cables through the conduits from one manhole to another. Some of thewuprights' carry sheaves over which the cable is drawn during the operation of placing the cables in the conduits, and other of the'uprights act 'as supports. Each of the uprights is firmly secured to the interior of the manholes during the cable pulling operations and are removed therefrom after such operations are completed. Considerable time and money are expended in placing and its operation ateach manhole but can be repeatedly used in successive manholes.

A further. object consists in the provision of apparatus of the above type which is simple and comparatively inexpensive.

These and further objects will be apparent from the following description, when con sidered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the in- .vention is illustrated.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of that portion of the improved arrangement which extends into a manhole; Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofFig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows the apparatus in the position it assumes at a manhole in the operation of pulling cables through conduits.

The portion of the apparatus which extends into a manhole comprises a pair of forked members 5, 5 which may be composed of some such material as steel casting. The lower portions of the members 5, 5 are provided with coinciding openings in which a shaft 6 is suitably journaled in a bushing 7. Thrust washers 8 may be also provided for said shaft and may be positioned on the in- 1928. Serial no. 288,143.

ner sides of the forked members. A sheave 9-is mounted on the shaft 6, and one part thereof extends upwardly between the forked members, while the lower part of the sheave lies in an exposed position. The shaft 6 extends beyond the sides of the forked members 5, 5 and a pair of chain and brace holders 10, 10 is mounted thereon. These mem bers are maintained in position on the shaft and against the sides of the forked members 5,5 by castellated nuts 11, 11 which engage the threaded ends of said shaft. The'members 10, 10 are similarly arranged with respect to each other on the shaft 6 in a hori-' zontal position. A flange extendin from each of the forked members5 may be "provided to abut-the upper edge of the members 10 to prevent their rotation. A hook member 12 is provided on one end of each of the members 10, 10 for the purpose of holding an end of a chain, and each of the other'ends ofsaidmembers is provided with atubular portion 13 for holding a pipe. The entrance of such pipe into the tubular portion 13"is limited by the collar 14; The chain and pipe connections are used to hold the sheave '9 against displacement in the manhole during the cable pulling operations, as will be presently described.

The forked members 5, 5 are connected with a head member 15 which is provided with a central opening 16 therethroi'igh, and a series of side openings 17. A tubular member 18is positioned within the central open ing in such manner that the head member is adapted to rotate thereon. The tubular member 18 extends beneath the shoulders of thefforkedmembers 5, 5 and a c0llar'19 is suitably affixed thereto by rivets or the like. The tubular member is also provided with a centralcollar 20 and an upper collar 21, each of which is suitably affixed thereto. The head member 15 is journaled on the tubular mem-- ber 18 between the collars19 and 20. The tubular member 18 is provided with openings through its side walls corresponding to the openings 17 in the head member, and a pin 22 is adapted to be inserted through the openings' in each of these members. The sheave 9 may be thus rotated to any desired position and fixed in such position by the insertion of the pin 22 through said openings.

A tubular extension 23 in the middle leg of a pole derrick is connected to the tubular. member 18 by means of a pin 24. This pin passes through openings provided in the extension 23 and the tubular member 18-and securely connects these members together. The tubular extension 23 is provided with a.

base25 Which" rests on the top of the head.

member15, and the collars 20 and 21 carried by the member 18 serve as spacing means to prevent lateral movement ofthe extension.

The extension 23 is attached to the middle leg 26 of the derrick by a pinnedcollar 27'which interconnects these elements.

. The derrick is shown as being carried by atruck and may be of the usual tripod character havingtwoof its legs 28 hinged to the rear-part of said truck. A sheave29 is positioned atthe meetingpoints of the vertical leg26 and the hinged supportinglegs 28. i A

line. 30 passes over the sheave 29 and is connected to a cable 31which is to be drawn through the duct of the underground conduit.

' A winch 32, positioned on the truck, furnishes the pulling power required by winding the line- 30 thereon after it passes through a snatch block positionedon a rear cornerof the truck; f

llTheQsheave 9, owing tothe rotatable -char acter of its supports, as previously outlined, may beheld at various anglesin the manhole, asmay be required, to suit the position of the truck acent the manhole and the conduit ducts interconnecting the manholes. Pull ing-in irons -38, embedded in thewalls of the manhole 34 serve to hold the sheave in a desired position in the manhole by chains attached to the hook 12. As an alternate means of holding the sheave. in the desired position the braces 35 may extend from the tubular pipeholder 13 to thewall of the manhole, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. V

In the operation of the improved arrangement, after the derrick is set up on a truck, the tubular portion of attachment which is to be positioned in the manhole, is placed inside the lower portion of the middle legof the pole derrick. The connecting pin is then inserted through these elements to keep them together. Thetruck carrying the derrick is. then manoeuvred so. that when the pole derrick leg is lowered, it will, enter the manhole. .The height of the derrick is adjusted so that the bottom of the sheave will line up with the duct through which the cable is to be pulled. The frame comprisingthe forked armsis turned on the tubular member on which it is journaled "so that the sheave will point toward the duct through which the cable is to I be p'ulled.- The blockisetting bolt is then in-.

serted in the holes of the tubular. member and pipe brace holder, and the length of such pipe braces are adjusted so that they will engage the wall of the manhole and maintain the sheave from lateral displacement. winch l ne is now passed over the sheave in the manhole and attached'to the fish line and pulled through to the other manhole, and

there attached to the cable to be pulled throughithe ductofithe. conduit. Thewinch;

is. then operated; in a forwardspeedcausing its line to be wound thereon, sothatasthe winding progresses the cable will be pulled throughthe conduit-in anobvious manner.

What is claimed is: In combination with a derrick adapted to bemounted adjacent a manholeandhaving a vertical leg, of a forked bracket carrying I In testimony whereof, wehave signed our names to thisspecification this 15th day of June, 1928. g j p JOHN F. SNYDER.

head to maintain this position of the sheave. 

